This year I started Christmas morning with the greatest gift ever!  Then I explained my strange gift. That is my brother George, what a great sport.  He was not in on the gift and had no idea why he would be getting a sleeve of beans as the first gift of Christmas.  He smiled anyway, what a guy! This is a recap of the short speech that I gave before we tore into the real gifts...

There are 7 cans of beans taped together and each one is here for a different reason.

The GREEN BEANS are included to remind us to stay young and to remember how rich and blessed we truly are.

The BAKED BEANS are included to remind us to be patient with each other.  Good People, like baked beans, need time to perfect.

The REFRIED BEANS are included to remind us to forgive each other.  Because sometimes you need a do-over.

The PORK & BEANS W/TOMATO SAUCE are included to remind us that together we are so much better than just pork, or beans or tomato sauce.

The MEXICAN STYLE CHILI BEANS are included to remind us that everyone is different and that is ok.

The KIDNEY BEANS are included to remind us to eat, drink and be merry!  But not so Merry that you hurt your kidney.

The BUTTER BEANS are included to remind us to choose our words carefully.  What you say and how you say it matters.  (The footnote here is that Butter Beans are nothing more than lima beans.  Butter beans sounds much better.)

I certainly got a few looks and a few laughs but Christmas morning went off without a single cuss word, fistfight or brawl!  Now I just hope that those beans get made into chili before George gets a chance to re-gift them to me.